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TWU School of Education graduates make the grade

In elementary and secondary school classrooms throughout Langley, and across British Columbia, TWU School of Education graduates like Vanessa Steunenberg (’11) and Karina Whitmarsh (’14) are making their mark.

Steunenberg and Whitmarsh, who are both currently teaching in the Langley School District, say TWU helped equip them with the skills they need to succeed. “Through the education program and my professional year at TWU, I felt really prepared to go into the classroom,” Whitmarsh said.

As part of the core experience in TWU’s education program, students get valuable classroom experience as early as in their second year. “Research has shown that beginning teachers who have a longer time to connect educational theory with their practice through multiple classroom experiences actually do better when they begin teaching,” said Dean Kimberly Franklin, Ed.D.

Langley School District Principal, Human Resources Mal Gill agrees. “Getting teachers into their practicums at an earlier time is always beneficial,” Gill said. “Watching a master teacher and being in a class with 25 to 30 students and really trying to refine your practice in a safe environment, it frees you up to take risks, to learn about new ways of doing things.”

Since its inception in 2002, TWU’s School of Education has graduated some 333 teachers from its program.

“Any community wants the best for its students because they recognize that the future of their community is dependent on their young,” Franklin said. “I think Trinity Western is giving Langley the best possible teachers.”